1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a liquid application device and, more particularly, to a hand-held liquid applicator having a gripping member spaced from a pocket within which a liquid filled vial is received which may be squeezed by the user to fracture the vial, releasing the fluid from the vial so that it may be applied to a surface via a sponge.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
It is known to provide liquid applicators for applying liquids, such as medicaments or cleansing agents, wherein the applicator includes a body defining an open-sided cavity, a frangible vial retained within the cavity, and a sponge overlying the open side of the cavity over the vial. The liquid-filled vial is formed of glass and can take a variety of shapes. The body includes a shaped wall that conforms generally with the shape of the vial to define the open-sided cavity and a flange extending from the shaped wall along the open side of the cavity. In such applicators, the liquid-filled vial is fractured by the user grasping the shaped wall and exerting a squeezing force directly applied to the outer surface of the vial. Of course, the squeezing force necessary to fracture the vial depends on a number of factors such as the shape of the vial, the material of which the body or vial is formed, and the location at which the force is exerted.
One problem experienced in these conventional applicators is that shards or pieces of the fractured vial have a tendency to penetrate the shaped wall and injure the user's fingers. This can occur when the user over-exerts the squeezing pressure applied on the shaped wall. Further, the shaped wall is often difficult to grasp and hold onto when exerting the squeezing pressure or when applying the liquid to a surface, especially when the vial is spherical in shape or of a relatively small diameter, cylindrical configuration. Additionally, in such applicators, when the shaped wall is squeezed to fracture the vial, nothing prevents the vial from being pushed toward the open side of the cavity. Thus, the vial is able to move around within the pocket when the pocket is squeezed, inhibiting efficient fracturing of the vial. Moreover, such movement towards the open side of the cavity may also occur after the vial has been fractured, causing shards or pieces of the fractured vial to poke into or through the sponge. In situations wherein the applicator is being used to apply a liquid to the skin of a patient, shards of glass protruding into or through the sponge will obviously be detrimental.
Responsive to these problems, liquid applicators have been developed which include shaped walls having inward projections that engage the periphery of the vial to maintain the vial within the cavity and to prevent untoward movement of shards of the vial through the sponge when fracturing of the vial is effected. Further, applicators have been developed with shaped walls presenting a region to be grasped and squeezed by the user which provide a fulcruming effect so that the user squeezes the shaped wall at a location that is not directly in contact with the vial. In other words, the shaped wall is squeezed by the user pivoting the wall inwardly to engage the vial away from the region at which the wall is squeezed. However, the possibility still exists that a user will over-squeeze the shaped wall causing pieces of the fractured vial to shift to the region of squeezing and penetrate the wall. Although such liquid applicators represent an improvement over earlier conventional devices, there is a need to provide a liquid applicator that fully eliminates the risk of the user being injured by shards of the vial penetrating the shaped wall. Further, there is a need for a liquid applicator that has improved structure for gripping the applicator, while preventing untoward movement of the vial or pieces thereof toward the sponge.